1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to re-usable cases for containing a package of wound electrical wire or cable for unwinding through a payout hole and payout tube and, more particularly, to such cases that are injection molded of impact- resistant, high density polyethylene in complementary attachable sections to provide two different sized ports for related sized payout tubes for paying out different sized electrical wire or cable and wherein the two-sections afford ease of insertion and removal of electrical wire or cable. The two sections are easily and readily attachable to form a contained re-user case with built in support feet enabling the re-user case to be set down at the work site and further including built in handles for easy portability of the re-user case.
2. Related Art
1.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,533; Kotzur et al.; xe2x80x9cContainer with Octagonal Insert and Corner Payoutxe2x80x9d; and assigned to the same assignee as the present application: A package of filamentary material wound in a figure-8 configuration with a radial hole extending from the central core space thereof to the outer periphery thereof is enclosed in a container having a perforated corner portion for unwinding the FM material. The winding is placed within a polygonally-sided insert having opposing sides engaging the outer periphery of the windings and including a payout tube inserted in the radial hole for feeding the inner end of the material. Opposite sides of the insert engage the inner surfaces of the container with the payout tube being aligned with the perforated corner portion. The bottom and upper surfaces of the container include intersecting cone sections for supporting the inner windings of the material.
2.) U.S. Pat. No. 5,979,812; Kotzur et al.; xe2x80x9cCoil with Large Payout Hole and Tube for Kinkless Payoutxe2x80x9d; and assigned to the same assignee as the present application: A paper or corrugated container is disclosed having a hingeable panel including an opening and a payout tube formed of container-type material and with an outer end opening conforming to the panel opening. A flap member extends from each of the openings and extends through and around the edges of the panel opening for supporting the payout tube with the panel in a closed position.
3.) U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,554; Kotzur et al.; xe2x80x9cCombined Fiber Containers and Payout Tubes and Plastic Payout Tubesxe2x80x9d; and assigned to the same assignee as the present application: A combined container and payout tube is shown in FIG. 10A wherein the container holds a wound coil of filamentary material and includes a payout hole extending from the inner coil to the outer coil. A serrated opening in a panel of the container is opened to allow the filamentary material to be removed from the container. The filamentary material is threaded through a payout tube incorporated as part of the container. The container is dimensioned in accordance with the diameter of the wound coil that is to be contained therein; and
4.) xe2x80x9cThe Reelex Re-Userxe2x80x9d; Advertisement of Windings circa 1990: A blow molded re-user container of impact resistant high density polyethylene for holding wound coils of electrical wire or cable which includes two identical half-sections each containing a cone extending from the center of the section into the central opening of the wound coil to maintain the shape of the coil and to limit movement thereof inside the re-user container. The re-user container is weather proof, portable (light weight) and affords the usual REELEX benefits, namely, non rotating spool, low tension and non-twist wind affording easy payout, no over-run and less scrap.
The Re-User cases of the invention are an improvement over that of the Reelex Re-User container described above (paragraph 4) and are constructed for containing wound electrical coils and cables for unwinding. The Re-User cases of the invention are injection molded of impact resistant high density polyethylene to improve the cost of manufacture. as opposed to a blow molding process used with the prior art Reelex Re-User Cases.
Additionally, the REELEX Re-User cases of the present invention do not utilize cones or the like to stabilize the wound coil.
Moreover, the two half-sections of the Re-User cases of the present invention use combined hinge and clamps to open and close the separate case sections and to secure each half-section to one other thereby enclosing the wound electrical wire or cable.
The Re-User case of the present invention accommodates new tube designs such as the EZ Tube and the Reelex II Tube.
The Re-User case of the present invention accommodates storage and payout of large diameter cable such as CAT 5, CAT 6, CAT 7 electrical cable through a large diameter payout tube and xe2x80x9cnormal-sizedxe2x80x9d electrical wire or cable through a smaller diameter payout tube. The payout tube for the large diameter electrical wire or cable is, for example, defined in U.S. Pat. Nos. #5,979,812 and #6,109,554 (referred to above) and the payout tube for xe2x80x9cnormal-sizedxe2x80x9d electrical wire or cable is defined, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. #4,022,399; Zajac; xe2x80x9cScrew-In Tube with Breakable Tabs for Coil of Flexible Material with Inner End Payoutxe2x80x9d; U.S. Pat. No. #4,057,203; Newsman et al.; xe2x80x9cPackage of Flexible Material with Oval Payout Tubexe2x80x9d; and U.S. Pat. No. #5,810,272; Wallace et al.; xe2x80x9cSnap-On Tube and Locking Collar for Guiding Filamentary Material Through a Wall Panel of a Container Containing Wound Filamentary Materialxe2x80x9d (all of the aforementioned patents being assigned to the same assignee as the present application, namely Windings,. Inc.).
Finally, the Re-User case of the present invention is designed to be weatherproof, sturdy, stackable, re-usable, portable and provide the usual benefits of the REELEX wind, i.e. non rotating spool, low tension and non-twist wind affording easy payout, no over-run and less scrap.
It is a primary object of the invention to provide a Re-User case for wound electrical coils or cable that is made of injection molded, impact-resistant, high density polyethylene.
It is a feature of the invention that the Re-User cases are light in weight.
It is an advantage of the invention that the Re-User cases are portable.
A further object of the invention is that the separate half-sections of the Re-User case are removably joined to one another to form the closed Re-User case.
A further feature of the invention is that the separate half-sections are clamped to one another by removable, plastic clamps.
A further advantage of the invention is that the clamped sections of the Re-User case are easily closed and opened by a simple rotation of the various clamps to engage preformed retaining members on opposing sections of the case.
Another object, feature and advantage of the invention is that the Re-User cases are optimally configured to be stored one on top of the other to reduce space.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a lower cost of manufacture than known Re-User cases.
Yet another feature of the invention is that the Re-User cases are made of injection molded polyethylene.
Yet another advantage of the invention is that the Re-User cases are durable and of high strength to withstand the rough and hard usage to which they are exposed in the field of their application.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide safe storage and kinkless, twistless payout of a wide diameter/size of wound, electrical wire or cable from a re-usable container made of light weight, durable material.
Yet another feature is that the Re-User case of the invention can easily be converted to store and payout either large or small diameter/size electrical cable or wire through either one of two different-sized payout tube openings.
Yet another advantage of the invention is that each Re-User case of the invention can store and payout a wide range of diameter of electrical wire or cable from the same Re-User case.